Watching this release was a bittersweet affair for
me. I remember when Nirvana were in their prime and considering myself
the world’s biggest Nirvana fan and authority on all things Nirvana
(which I certainly wasn’t!). Then lead singer Kurt Cobain passed away
through suicide and the band immediately fell apart, never to reform.

The disc is a bit of an odd one, it’s not a release
that dwells on Kurt’s death really, though that is featured throughout
the doco naturally enough, it’s more about the process that the group
went through to get to where they eventually wound up and what the
opinions were of those closest to them looking from the outside in at
the group.

The quality of the release is varying, being taken
from multiple sources and also it is interesting to note the attitude
toward Nirvana, which differs from adulation through to anger at the
death of Kurt and the general thoughts about the band.

The disc itself doesn’t run that long to be honest
and I do think that it could have gone longer. The people talking about
the band are certainly qualified to talk about what they went through
but for the most part, there is just a small group giving their
feedback. We don’t really get to know much more than this narrow
viewpoint.

So why the 8/10? The disc despite its “short comings”
does give you a wealth of information about the band and their
beginnings. The people who are talking are more than able to speak with
authority on the subject matter and are interesting to listen to. The
documentary flows well and the editing really holds it all together.

The main thrust of the doco had me asking what if?
What if they were still together as a band, or if Kurt was still alive,
what would they have been producing now? The world lost a very talented
musician when he passed away and we get this opportunity to reflect upon
that.

The extras on the disc feature all too brief looks at
the stuff that could have been quite readily placed into the main title
itself to flesh it out a bit more. Make sure you watch them though as
they do have really value in the overall context of the production.

Primarily of value to fans of Nirvana and Cobain, it
nonetheless provides an insightful look into the dark heart of one of
the most successful groups of that time who inspired a legion of
imitators, none of whom managed to ever eclipse the group. Definitely
worth a close look.